Wheel felly



F. W. BAKER WHEEL FELLY Dec. 23, 1930.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 27, 1928 Dec. 23, 1930. w. BAKER 1,?855995WHEEL FELLY Filed Jan. 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTO NEYS.

Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK WILLIAMBAKER, OF STOURBRIDGE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO TRINITY WHEEL CORPORATION,OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVT YORK WHEEL FELLY Application filed January27, 1928. Serial No. 249,795.

is thrust is imparted to any portion of the wheel or vehicle, but thestrains are dissipated and diffused through the whole wheel withoutnoticeable deformation.

In my application for Letters Patent of 15 the United States Serial No.122,133, filed July 13th, 1926, and patented May 22, 1928, Patent No.1,670,431, I have shown a further development of this principle and itsapplication to a wheel disc.

My present invention embodies a further development of the principle andsome improvements thereon, but more particularly the means of applyingthis principle to the felly of a wheel without regard to the charactorof the spoke system or of the rim which the felly carries or of which itforms a part. This is important because in adapting the principle tocommercial production it often happens a manufacturer is committed byhis installation to a certain type of felly, and

5 structive mechanism.

that he would hesitate to change his plant to make a new type of wheelwhen he might readily adopt an adaptation of a felly which would requireno appreciable change of con- My invention, therefore, in the presentinstance relates to the adaptation of the principles referred to to afelly, and comprises a weakening of the felly between the spoke systemand the rim at dif ferent places which are in different arcs, with theweakening effect of the different arcs in staggered relation so that anythrust caused by road roughness or otherwise will not be a radialthrust, but will be distributed through all parts of the felly. Thus theshocks and strains will be dissipated, a less resilient and lessexpensive tire can be used if desired, and the effect of shockdissipation preserved.

In carrying out the idea I also arrange that the inner and outer partsof weakening of the felly while in staggered relation also overlap sothat a continuous resilience of rim results without noticeably weakeningthe felly or wheel, and having these parts disposed so that aconventional or preferred felly can without any appreciable cost be madeto have the effect described, and to embody he principle of myinvention. In practice I have found a convenient and simpleway to be tocut circumferentially spaced crescent shaped slits in the sides of thefelly at one radius, and other similarly shaped slits or weakenings instaggered relation to the first set and at a longer radius, all of whichwill be more clearly understood from the description which follows.Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specication, in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing one embodiment of my invention. 7

Figure 2 is a broken development or plan of a blank which can be shapedinto a felly.

Figure 3 is a broken perspective view of a part of the felly.

Figure 4 a section on the line i-t ot Figure 1.

Figl'ilfi 5 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line 5-5 of Figure1.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of another form of the felly.

Figure 7 is a cross section on the line 77 of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a cross section on the line 88 of Figure 6.

The felly shown in Figures 1 to 5 is formed of a blank 10 havingparallel sides 11, and annular corrugations 12 adapted to support aconventional rim 13. This structure is illustrated because it issubstantially a form f felly which is very widely used in wheels ofmotor cars, and the rim 13 can be of any approved type, and the fellycan be used with artillery wheels, disc wheels, or any preferred spokesystem. In the sides of the felly and preferably at places just outsidethe corrugation 12, if a corrugation is used. are cut crescent shapedslots 14 which are circumtcrentially spaced as the (ilrawing shows, andwhich have at least one wall turned inward as at 15 to prevent too muchweakening. It follows that at these places the sides otthe telly will.have a certain resilience, and will yield slightly under a sudden shock.At other and outer places are also slots 16 of similar shape, which inthe present instance are made in the edge of the telly sides 11, and theinner edges of the slots are turned in as at 17 to prevent excessiveweakening.

Referring now to Figure 1 it will be'secn that the weakened parts 16 arestaggered with respect to the weakened parts 14, and further that thetapering end portions of the slots or weakened parts ll and 16 overlap,so that in the ase oi a sudoen shock, instead of this shock beingimparted radially to the wheel and to the vehicle which it carries, theshock will be absorbed to a certain extent by one out the weakenedparts, either 1- or 16, which must come directly opposite the point. ofshock, and the strain is transmitted to the end parts of the weakmedportion, and so distributed through the entire folly, and as the parts14L and 16 overlap, there will be no point of fatigue or dead pointwhere there is no resilience. On the other hand this method oi?weakening the telly slightly and at spaced and staggered positions, doesnot weaken the telly to the extent of making the structure too weak, andthe commercial telly can easily be made in this way without changing theshop practice of manufacture. Such tellies are usually shaped from ablank, and in Figure 2 it will. be seen that the parts 14 and 16 can bestamped or shaped in the blank when the blank is died oat, and that whenthe telly is shaped its form shown in the drawings, the weakenedportions will be correctly positioned, so that it will appear clearlvthat this slight change in structure will not alter shop practice ofnianutacture to any appreciable extent.

As remarked, I have shown the application to the type of telly 10because of the wide use ot this type, but the iielly may be of otherforms without in the least affecting the invention. Sometimes the follyand rim are combined as in Figures 6 to 8. In such case the applicationof the invention. is substantially as already indicated. Here thecrescent shaped slots 21 are produced in the inner parts of the tel. y,and correspond to the parts 14 already described, while the overlappingor outer slots 23 are produced in the other parts of the telly, and instaggered relation to the slots 21. Likewise the slots 21 preterablyhave one wall turned in as at 22, and the slots 23 have a similarinturned. wall 2 1, which in the form shown in Figure 7 can be used toassist in supporting the tire if desired. The telly 19 is of the commondrop centre type, and merges into side flanges 20.

This showing of the coml ined telly and. rini in no wise alters theinvention, because in either rase the invention is applied to a telly,and it the telly is a part of the rim or independent thereof as inFigure 4, is immaterial so far as the invention is concerned.

I claim 1. A wheel telly havingcircumterentially spaced weakenedportions at one radius, and another set of eireuinterentially spacedweakened portions at another radius, with the weakened port-ions ot thetwo sets in staggered relation.

2. ii wheel telly having a set oi circunitcn entially spaced weakenedparts atone radius. a second set of circinntcrcntialiy spaced weakenedparts at another radius. and with the two sets oi weakened parts instaggered relation, and with those of one -ct or er-lapping those of theother set.

3. A w eel te naving circi i iterentially spaced 5' in ado at one rat 1!set oi cir.ninicientially spaced slots at another radins. and with the tvo sets of slots in staggered relation.

4. A n cl telly having in its sides inner and out-.1.- wealienedportions with the said inner and outer weakened portions in staggeredrelation. 2 L

A. wheel telly having circuintercntially spaced inner and outer crescentshaped slots with the inner and outer slots in staggered relation.

6. A wheel telly having in its sides inner and. outer slits in staggeredrelation and with the walls of the slits intnrned.

In testimony whereof, I have signed niv name to this specification this26th day 0'1: January, 1928. U

FREDERICK XVILLIAM BAKER.

Ill)

